Wednesday, May 14, 2014

There are certainly quite a lot of light painting images out there. Tutorials abound and some magazines are even running competitions on this subject. I've tried it a couple of times with mixed results and travel in the car with a few flashlights ready to go into action if the moment arises. But why go through the effort with perhaps something better could be done???

On the recent trip to photograph covered bridges we arrived at the last bridge of the day just after sunset. The bridge was on the border of a state park on a rural area so there are no artificial lights close by. Not knowing if I would have the time to come back during the day, I capture a few images with the last remaining light of the day. And just when we were getting ready to leave, it was decided that we could try some light painting. I brought out my flashlights and attempted some exposures. Lighting a large bridge with a flashlight proved to be a challenge so we decided to use the big guns: our cars. I drove my car through the bridge and parked it on the road lighting the front of the bridge while a second car was parked inside the bridge lighting the interior. Although the raccoons were a little weary of what was going on, we certainly had a great time photographing at night.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Now that the transition from winter to spring is done (at least in our area), it was time to head out and explore. A few weeks ago I participated in a photography tour in central Indiana. It was a lot of fun visiting a new place and wandering around the rural area and small towns in the vicinity. In the process I met some great people and capture some new images.

The focus of the trip was covered bridges which sometimes conjure up images of a horse drawn buggy pulling through an old red bridge and although we never saw this (we did see an Amish on his buggy but he was not going through the bridge), we saw plenty of bridges, creeks and dirt road to keep the cameras clicking away.

The first two images are from the first evening. Although the initial plan was just to gather for dinner, everyone was ready to go after checking in in the hotel.

West Union Bridge

Although we saw some bridges that were closed due to a state of disrepair, most still carried car or foot traffic. It is clear that these old structures are still seen as more than just a tourist destination and hopefully the county and towns will continue taking care of them for all to enjoy for years to come.